Stuck on the side of the road on a balmy 40-degree day, Joy Stoeckel told of how a kind-hearted truckie helped to ensure she and her sister Mary Talent could be back on their way.
On Monday, January 20, Joy and her sister were travelling in their Volkswagon Tiguan on the Goyder Highway in South Australia, but were forced to pull over around 120 kilometres from her home at Monash.
“I had just turned off the gravel Powerline Road and onto Goyder Highway when I heard a clunking noise. It was a puncture in 40 degree heat,” Joy said.
“I only had a skinny tyre as our spare. My sister and I were okay to replace it until we found that the spanner to remove the nuts would not fit.”
Thankfully they had phone service so Joy was able to call RAA, which said they could have someone out there in 90 minutes.
“It was open plains and no tree coverage but we were okay with cold water, etc. so we were prepared to wait.”
But within minutes of the phone call, a four wheel drive and caravan pulled up behind them.
As it turned out, a truck driver had seen them by the side of the road. Unable to stop along the narrow stretch in their truck, they radioed the caravanner to ask if they could stop and assist.
“The truckie called the caravanner to say, ‘Could you please check out the VW on the side of the road?’ Such kindness as another four-wheel drive also stopped to assist.”
Joy said she contacted Big Rigs after picking up a copy from the tyre shop when she had her wheel replaced.